First Weed-Friendly Gym Soon Opens in San Francisco

San Francisco will soon be home to the world’s first marijuana-friendly gym.

Power Plant Fitness, expected to open this fall, would allow marijuana enthusiasts to vape or consume marijuana in an outdoor balcony. The fitness center was conceptualized by former NFL player Ricky Williams and 420 Games founder Jim McAlpine.

McAlpine said that the fitness center is not an avenue to promote cannabis; rather, it is a place for athleticism. More than a business venture, the fitness center is aimed to remove the stigma on people who smoke pot.

Williams lost his career after he tested positive for marijuana multiple times.

“I was a really good football player,” Williams said to International Business Times. “But my career and life were ruined because of a drug test.”

In an email to Tech Insider, McAlpine said those who will go to the gym will undergo a baseline “cannabis performance assessment” to identify the effect of marijuana on their body as they work out. It will also teach the gym members to maximize the proper use of cannabis.

The plan is to allow members to consume edibles and vape onsite. An outdoor smoking deck will also be provided for those who want to smoke. The facility is also planning to produce marijuana edibles that would increase pre-workout focus and enhance post-workout recovery.

However, for the “cannabis gym” to come into fruition, the company needs to secure registration as a dispensary lounge similar to other dispensary facilities that provide therapeutic marijuana to patients.

Once the fitness center is registered as a dispensary unit, the company cannot make a profit out of the gym.

Last year, ride-sharing company SideCar partnered with Meadow, a local cannabis distributor, to make same-day deliveries of medical marijuana to San Francisco residents. The service has allowed patients who couldn’t go out of their house to still receive their stock of medical marijuana.